Wind-inducing bellows



1,557,978 c. E. CAMERON l wmv INDUCING Baphow Filed Aug. s, 192:."

Oct. 20, 1925.

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Patented Cet. 20, 1925.

i WINDJN-D-Uolve removes;

v Aptiicationi meeAugeS-t e, 1922. seriarfm.- v536,625.-

TofaZZwLof/te meg-concern; i

Be it known tht I, CHARLES CAME:

RON, a oitizenof the United States, and resi-w i dent orf-*Erst Orange, .in the county of Esser and Sttte or" New Jersey', halve. `invented new amdl usefl` Improvements inf lfmd-lnduoing Bellows; of which the` fol-1 lowing ie aspeeieet'on; o `The lnventron 1re-1eme m vgener-acl .to en v1o improve@ formI 'er wird ndoenfg device" o'lthe type nsuelly 'employed eutopinioni-` Windeeliest, one or more porn-ping bellows und? one or inerepedels for actuating the bellows.

With the type of bel-lovvsinew in generell use skillfdljanfcli oonstnt' Geref` most loe exercised order te e consume uniform loressixre` or' slotion etileot which `will be of sleient' intensity tol opernte the instrument airdvvliioli ontlre other' heind Willi not loe so' ligl kin` pressnre, or l'oW in vacuum, as to Vcanse a stiff-5 resisted* eiotuation of the nfleolr? l V l simplified' :formi ott Wind rntluengb'ellows fr 'es `er@weer dee-rem 'de erm ove" approll'irnzitelywthe two inelres or" its four inch stroke; cerises e' sudden exhaustion of err` from themoet` chest, or'

ot'llerooinpertnrent to be exhaustedyresulting in al. qeiel'drop in presero-@e4 beyond the ideali' ,llaygpresstrre nel tlat 'tlile final movement of the stroke is largely idilfe and?" dees tere ir; ereeeve were. freieis perrieunrry eoeeeetre in slew peddling Where the nstrernent is sep-plied with unneoessariljyi lovv pressure at the beginning; of the peelelflng `stroke lout this ext-reine pressere ifs" met er@ is quekly lost? prior to thefterlnination of the downward pedal movement. The loss` in. Working pressure is elfue .not only wt'o oon sulfmpt-ionn doing: setuzt v'rmdrl het is: elfsoi due to leakage which: sxquitenoticelfile tpre'ssiires'zrenrote roin atmospherie presen-re. The finer movement ot th'eupetlfel action: at bestbarely retards the rate of retnrn'of pressuu'e to normaulztnd iti-is ansnlweXpe/rienre to.` finde-that there is no. available -workiig pressure? in the` instrumentbyf the time the,

pedal? has reachedthe end: of its: otnatng stroke.. It is neeessapryovvifth known. forms of instruments to pedal at e relatively rffup'ifolL rate so as to main-tain estimating pressure in: thefinstrurnent tlins requiring theope-ra tor to ,Work `herder than is tleo'retioellynecessary tofca-use the mohirletoffndtion; 'I-lrere` is `tl'le additional! disadvantage inL that. there rnust loe mainteinedl the instrument 1 e; pressure lower than: is necessary lor vide sireble` tou o lte-n the.` best Lplznyg @onditonsh. THiS creating` ot en excess of' pressure is fatguing to the operator and the excessv deleterolrsly :affects the sensitivenessf ott the instrument. i

' Aeeodinglyf the pri-mary' object off the.` inventon'is to providey in appleyerpiano a` oonstrucltioni in vvliollr a substantially nini forlnworlring pressure is meintined int the instrerneutl et leest during 1 the `riterwfztl of tine rolnw thebeginningtortleenet of thierI pecl'elllingvstrole i ,t 1 f l Other objects of tlie-,invention-`I ere' to provide?ex pedeil` aetnatedi bellowslyoonstruo- :mi nspeeton of tlueeeeompeniyiuag drew es and 1n prtwilfllie moreA r ferth the `fonewingparticolar desenpten eff one form of mechanism embodying my invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the lower part of a player piano, showing a preferred embodiment of the invention installed therein; and showing the position of the parts when the pedal is depressed about one-half of its actuating stroke; v Y

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of'the bellows shown in Figure Vl at the start of its collapsing movement and Figure 3 is a yview in elevation of the right hand side of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2. v

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for rconvenience of expression but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit.

In the dawings `there is shown a wind chest 10l of a player piano securedto one side ofwhich is the customary stationary board 11 which extends across the front of the lower portion of the piano. An air exhauster 12 is positioned on the rear side of the boardy 11 for withdrawing air from the conduit 13 inthe wind. chest 10 as is well known in autopneuma-tic `mus1cal instruments.

The exhauster 12 is inxeffect two conventional forms of bellows and will beidentified herein as a primary bellows 14 and a secondary bellows 15. The primary bellows exhausts the conduit 13 through the open passageway 16,'-whi'ch extends through the board 11 and through the secondary bellows. 15 exhausts the Vair in' the conduit 13 through the passageway 17 formed in the board 11. 1 Y

Thesecondary bellows 15 includes the base board 11 as its fixed side and a movablev side 18 which constitutes a floating partition between the two bellows. Communication is provided between the bellowsv `chambers by a plurality of ports 19 which are normally closed by a spring vpressed liapper fabric20. This construction forms' a one-way valve between the bellows and' is a well known construction. The partition 18 forms the relatively fixed side ofthe primary bellows and a pivoted side 21 oonstitutes the outer, movable side of the exhauster and the movable side of the pri-V mary bellows. The side^21 is similarly provided with escape ports 22normally covered by the spring pressed flapper fabric23.

The side 18 is pivotally connected at its upper end totheboardll bymeans o f va Smilarly the secondary bellows hinge construction 24 and the side 21 is similarly connected to;V the side 18 by a hinge construction 25. The exhauster is returned to its normal, collapsed position by return springs one of which 26 is shown in Figure 1 and which spring connects the wind chest with the side 21. The bellows are of conventional form with the side 18 connected to the board 11 by an accordion fabric 27 and the boards 18 and 21 are similarly connected by fabric 28, but the fabric is preferably of one piece and extends from the fixed board 11 to the movable side 21. p

The exhauster is actuated by means of a foot pedal 29 connected through suitable links 30 with the side 21 as is well known in similar constructions. i

In the preferred showing of the invention where the passageway 16 is employed to provide a direct connection between the conduit 13 and the primary bellows, it is suggested that a flexible conduit 31 be extended across the secondary bellows so that the passageway 16 may be used exclusively to maintain direct communication between the primary bellows and the wind chest. It is suggested however that the passageway 16 be omitted, in which case communication between the primary bellows and the wind chest is provided through the the secondary bellows 15. Y

In operation and assuming that both bellows are in collapsed position and that ther pedal is elevated, the operator will start to press down on theV pedal with theusual powerful force characterizing the initial part of a pedalling stroke. This will 'cause the outer board 21 to move outwardly from its normal collapsed posit-ion and in the direction indicated by the arrow in YFigure 1. During the initial part of theA downward movement of the pedal, say for the first vtwioj will cause the fabric 28 to act asa viexible connection and to cause the floating side 18 to move outwardly followingthe'side 21 and thus act toV distend the secondary bellows. The secondary bellows will then begin to function drawing air from the wind box through the passageway 17. It will be also apparent that while the secondary bellows is thus drawing air from the wind box, the primary bellows is also functioning so that during the final movement of the operators ports 19 and( igea-'nove foot inv eifectindtlie actuating' stroke, both bellows are" simultaneously drawing ai-r" from the `windt-box.

g v canada-jing the-exhausteasj ai@ tengas 1t is ap arent-thatduringthe' first two:

inches of the pedal st sroln'fv the wind f chest is subjected to the withdrawng'action of [an Wliileonly two bellows are disclosedfit is obviously' possible to increasea the number' i offfoatng partitions andl thus provide any. i number of bellows which` Acan be broiug'lrfinto' sequentiall operation durnigthe aieftuat. ing stroke ofthe `pedal or ped`als. Vlien the exhauster hasbeen. distenddfto the limit of itsmovement `the operator' releases' pressure ontlie pedals andthe' return'springs the arrow in Figure 2. Barrin-g the return act to collapse the bellows as indicated movement ofthe' `sides T81 and 2l the air contained in the bell'fiws opens tlieyifalvesf 2O and 23 permitting the escape of the air in both devices iswe-ll known in similar bellows of the single acting type now in general use. into or towards their initial position, the operator may again depress the pedals and y this operation is continued at a rate to maintain the requisite pressure in the wind box.

By means of a device of this character it is possible to maintain a relatively constant working pressure in the wind-box by a relatively slow, unhurried movement of the pedals. When so actuated the pressure in the wind box is maintained substantially constant and at a pressure sufficient to actuate the instrument and even a crash effect may be produced without necessarily maintaining the irregular, low ineiiicient pressure characterizingthe actuation of known forms of similar instruments.

I'Iaving thus described" my invention, I claim: f

l. In a wind inducing device for selfplaying musical instruments, the combination of a wind-chest, a front board fixed thereto, a secondary bellows on the front board opposite the wind-chest, and with said front board as one side of the secondary bellows, an air passageway in said board placing said secondary bellows in communication with the wind chest, a primary bellows with a pivotally mounted floating board common to both bellows constituting the movable sidebf the secondary bellows and a relatively fixed side of the primary bellows, and another board constituting the movable side of the primary bellows, both of said movable boards provided with valve controlled ports extending therethrough and a pedal operatively connected l/Vith `the return of the parts.

to the movable 'side oftl're primary lwie'll'ows`l andA acting through the primar bellows thesecondfary ltiellows;s c .y

, 2. rIn a wind-inducing"device for selfplaying musical nstruinents,"thei combination of a wind-chest and a fpurnpingfar" exhauster communicatingtherewith, sai/dexhauster includingv a pair of bellows?, each provided witlrla' movable silde,*a valveeom trofll'ed port providing communication be tween the' bellows, a flexible I`conn'eet'iio-n beef tween' said: movable sides providing `for aiI free .movement of one off the sides before the other side is moved ,andmeansy for 'mov--f ing `one of the sides anclffor actingthrougli* the flexible" l"fcorrriection" to move the foth'er-r sidewhereby one ellows caused to*- funetion in advance of the other".k "i

` 3. windfi ducingfdevice'l `iriciudi'iigyal fixed] board andtwo movableboardsdisposed on oneside et the xed board, rl'exiblefnlre'mbers connecting the' boards with "each, other', the xed `board and the next? adaeentnuev-1 able'.boardn enacting to" form secondary? bellows' and tlre movable boa-rdsL c'oaeti111g'y to form a primary bellows and powerfmeans connected to the outer movable board to move the movable boards successively away from the fixed board and thus cause both bellows to function.

4. In a player piano, the combination of a wind-box, a pedal having an actuating movement in one direction, a primary bellows and a secondary bellows both functioning when operatively disposed to withdraw air from the wind box, said primary bellows connected to the pedal during the initial part of said movement to be actuated by the pedal while the secondary bellows remains idle, and means for connecting both said bellows to said pedal during the final part of said movement.

5. In a wind inducing device for selfplaying musical instruments, the combination of a wind chest, a muscularly actuated power means having an operative movement in one direction, a plurality of air exhausting means actuated by said power means and means for successively bringing the different exhausting means into operative relation to the wind chest whereby all of the available muscular lpower during the initial part of said operative movement is concentrated on causing one of said exhausting means to function and the muscular power during a period following said initial part is caused t0 act lon more than one exhausting means and thus cause a plurality of exhausting means to function during the final part of said operative movement. y

6. In a player piano, the combination of a wind-box, a pair ofbellows both connected to withdraw air from the wind box on an opening movement of the bellows, means lll) for causing each bellows to function and means for delaying the opening movement of one of the bellows for a period of time following the start of the opening movement of the other bellows.

7. In a player piano, the combination of a wind boX, a pair of bellows each connected to withdraw air from the wind box, an actuating pedal operatively connected directly to one of the bellows to cause the same to function assoon as the pedal is moved on its actuating stroke, and means providing a delaying connection between the pedal and the other bellows whereby said other bellows is permitted to remain idle during the initial movement of thepedal and is actuated after a time interval following the actuation of the bellows connected directly to the pedal.

8. In a player piano, the combination of a wind box, a bellows normally having relatively small volumetric capacity and communicating with said wind boX to withdraw air therefrom, and means mechanically connected to and controlled by the movement of a side of said bellows for withdrawing air from the windbox and thus act in addition to the bellows.

9. An air exhauster including a muscularly actuated power member having an op-` l10. An air exhauster including in order a xed side and two movable sides, flexible means connecting the sidesto form two bellows and exhauster actuating means connected to the outer movable side to distend both bellows.

1l. An air eXhauster including a plurality of bellows having ya common side and means for distending one of the bellows and acting through the distended bellows for distending the other bellows.

Signed at Newark in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey this 2nd day of August A. D. 1922.

CHARLES E. CAMERON. 

